1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to providing advertising to users of social networks.
2. Background
A computer-based social network (“social network”) is a network that enables its users to create and maintain social relations with other users with whom they may share similar interests, beliefs, relationships, activities, or the like. A social network typically provides a representation of each user (often a profile page), his/her social links, and any of a variety of additional services. Most social networks are web-based and enable users to interact via the internet. For instance, users may post comments on their own profile pages and/or other users' profile pages, use e-mail and/or instant messaging, and so on. Some examples of web-based social networks include Facebook®, MySpace®, Twitter®, LinkedIn®, Xing®, Doostang®, and Academy®.
Specifically, social networks enable a user to interact with other users who are members of an affinity set of the user. Such other users are often referred to as “connections” of the user. For example, an affinity set may be any group of persons, including a group of friends, business associates, players of a massively multiplayer online game, persons with a common interest, all users of a social network, application (“app”), or web site, or a subgroup thereof. A user may belong to any number of affinity sets. Members of a social network may be able to search for other users in his or her affinity set, or outside the affinity set, by their names or other characteristics of the users, such as a designated interest, location, or job position.
Some social networks offer paid services to their users. For example, a business-oriented social network, such as LinkedIn®, may offer a paid service in accordance with which a user is provided information about other users who have performed a search for that user. The user may desire such information, for example, if the user is searching for a job or if the user is attempting to develop new business.
A social network may also provide advertisements to its users. Such advertisements may provide substantial revenue for the social network. Thus, the social network may attempt to maximize profits by providing aggressive advertising campaigns to its users. However, indiscriminately providing advertisements to all of the social network's users may negatively impact the users' experience. If a user has a negative experience, he or she may leave the social network altogether. Such departure of a user may be more damaging in the long run than the revenue gained from indiscriminately providing aggressive advertising to all users of the social network.